Death is Just the Beginning
by JadeElric
Summary: Ever wonder what really goes on in the Shinigami world? Meet Riku and Lulu, two Shinigami in training who will learn first hand. Journey into the world of Death as Megumi-sensei, a tigress teacher, shows them all they need to know. First fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Lilly wandered down the hallways of Okashi High searching for a restroom. Her hall pass read "8:25" and it was already nearing 9:00. Her five minutes were more than used up.

"I could have sworn the restroom was this way," Lilly went to clutch her stuffed bear Poko, but she couldn't feel him. She glanced down and saw that her school bag was open and several things were quickly forming a trail behind her. "Oh no! My belongings!" Lilly exclaimed, "And my poor Poko! Where has he gone?"

Lilly quickly rushed down the hallway and found a door that may or may not have been familiar to her.

"Have I been this way?" Lilly asked out loud. "Maybe I left Poko there." She pushed the door open slowly and realized that it lead outside. She was about to turn around when she heard laughing. 'Maybe they've seen Poko' she thought. She walked outside and found that she had wandered onto the roof. She quickly found the source of the laughter. It was two girls, obviously from her school for they were wearing her uniform 'and on the roof' she thought.

"Pardon me" she walked up to the girls with her arms behind her back. Noticing their strange hairstyles and alcoholic drinks in their hand, she suddenly became very interested in her shoes.

"Yeah, what do ya want?" the blonde, whose hair was spiky and short, slurred at her, obviously drunk.

"I-I was w-wondering-" Lilly began, but the girl cut her off.

"Wondering what? Can't you see that we're busy?" the blonde yelled. Lilly could feel the tears beginning to sting the corners of her eyes. No one had ever spoken to her like that.

"Leave her alone," the other girl finally spoke up. Her hair was long and layered. It was brown with red highlights that seemed to catch the light.

"But Kuri, she was trying to crash our party," the blonde whined.

"Madoka, just shut up already," Kuri moaned and rubbed her head with her hand. "Just let the little mouse go," she turned her gaze to Lilly, "We don't want her getting gobbled up by a wolf, now do we?"

"W-wolf," Lilly stammered.

"Figure of speech, sweetheart," Kuri smiled. "Now go run along before you get in trouble."

"Thank you. Kuri-san, thank you!" Lilly shouted and ran back inside.

Scene 1

Standing in front of two gigantic black doors gives the high class Shinigami, Megumi, the shivers. The carvings of a black Hawk like bird holding a syth cover the gigantic doors displaying the symbol for all Shinigamis. Megumi hesitates to knock on the black doors knowing that her boss lies behind them. It's been quite some time since she has had to come to him for an assignment. Being one of the oldest and high-ranking Shinigamis her experience gives her more time to do other, easier, assignments. She enjoys going around, checking up on newer trainers and their trainees. The boss thinks that with all her knowledge and skills she can help and improve Shinigami system of collecting souls. After pondering for quite some time Megumi, taking a deep breath, bangs her fist against the doors giving it three good knocks.

She then yells, "Master class Shinigami Nikkou, Megumi reporting!"

With a loud creak of the doors and the voice of the boss yelling "ENTER" Megumi slowly enters a massive office. Even after so many years, the presence of the boss still causes her to fold her ears back and cause her tail to become stiff. Her folded wings behind her are covered by her long braided black hair, which is tied with a bright red ribbon. Hoping that her glasses wouldn't fog up, she places herself directly in front of the bosses' desk.

"You called for me sir?"

"Yes, I have a new assignment for you." Not surprised, Megumi watched as he tried to finish up a pile of papers on his desk. "This assignment will be done by the appropriate time." A small file then floated over to her. Taking the file she opened it to skim over what seems to be a file on an older women. The file reads Terasu, Suzuka and it seems that her soul is scheduled to be collected on the second week of September for the next year.

'Will I be taking a soul? It's been a while,' she thought while closing the file to finish for later. Just then a couple of hard knocks were heard from behind.

"Come in!" As his voice echoed throughout the room the two doors opened to then reveal three figures. From her distant she was unable to identify two of the figures yet Ginta, one of her fellow Shinigamis, stood out like a sore thumb.

"Does he still always have to wear that bright orange bandana?" After a little giggle the two other figures began to reveal themselves. Adjusting her glasses she realized that two young girls follow Ginta into the room.

"Good timing Ginta, you may go." He then ushered Ginta to leave the room. Bowing toward the boss he quickly left to finish other business. The two girls wearing what seems to be Japanese junior high school uniforms still stood beside Megumi. Megumi still didn't understand the purpose of the two girls, looking back at the boss she waited for an explanation.

"Now Megumi, I want to introduce you to Ijiwaru, Kuri and Shizuka, Lillian. Both soon to be Migoto, Riku and Houki, Lulu. You will be training these two from today on." With a shocked look on her face she look at the girl Lillian on her right than Kuri on her left and then back at the boss wondering 'What the hell!' Finally able to release some words she said in a medium loud tone,

"Two of them! But sir you didn't mention anything about training…"

"Silence!!" She was interrupted by his loud deep tone that echoed throughout the room causing all three girls to jump in unison. "This is what I have decided and all my decisions are FINAL! I hope that you can carry this assignment without any problems. AM I CLEAR!!" Slightly bowing her head she responds,

"Yes boss." With that she gestures for the girls to bow as well then grabbing them by the wrists she dragged them out of the office leaving the boss in one of his foul moods. When the black doors where shut behind her she released a sigh of relief. Then with a smile she looked at the girls and said, "Well lets not do that again. Follow me." Megumi began walking down the hall when she realized that she hadn't introduced herself. Stopping suddenly the girls bump into her causing Megumi to almost fall forward. "Forgive me girls I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Megumi and I will be helping you with your training so you can just call me Sensei. Now lets get a good look at you two." Both girls seem to be about the same age wearing the exact same uniforms.

"Do you two know each other?" The girls looked at one another and shook their heads.

"This seems to be the first time we've met." The smaller girl said in a quite tone. "You must be Lulu." The girl nodded her head.

"Here." The girl next to Lulu handed Megumi two small files. "That Ginta guy told me to give this to you." The two files contained the information regarding the two girls.

"And you must be Riku." Riku looked at Megumi with the "duh" expression on her face. 'Well it looks like all their memories of their past had disappeared', she thought. Then without warning Megumi pounced on the two girls yelling "KAWAII!!!" as well as a lot of cutesy babble.

"Ewe" Riku mumbled as she tried to pry herself from Megumi's grip.

"What? Don't you like me?" Megumi tired a cutesy face with her bottom lip puckered out to win over Riku yet all she said was,

"Umm let me think…Yeah! I don't like you." Clutching Lulu Megumi cried out,

"Wah! Riku-Chan doesn't like me!" Tears began pour out of her eyes. Still in a quiet tone Lulu said under Megumi's arm,

"Sensei. Sensei." Releasing Lulu, just a bit, Megumi looked down at her with her big catlike eyes.

"Yes Lulu-Chan."

"I like you sensei." In an instant Megumi's eyes glittered with happiness and she attacked Lulu with more cutesy babble. Riku looked at them with disgust. After Megumi released Lulu her hair was complete ruined. Her black and white hair, which was put into two adorable buns with curly strands of hair coming from the middle of the buns, were now wet and messy from Megumi's tears. Looking down at Lulu, Megumi realized that she held a small teddy bear that had a zipper on the back.

"Lulu-Chan"

"Hai sensei."

"Who is that you have with you?" Holding up the little bear, Lulu said with a smile on her face,

"This is my little Poko. Say konichiwa Poko." Taking the little bears hand she gestured it to wave at Megumi.

"Yeah ok weirdo." Riku whispered behind Megumi and Lulu. The girl Riku had more of the rebellious look. Her hair was layered with red streaks showing though her dark brown hair. A lollipop hung from the corner of her mouth giving herself the look of trouble.

"Awe Riku, its ok. You'll learn to like a little stuff animals soon enough." Megumi gave Riku a large grin. The two girls looked at each other with confused looks wondering what the hell she was talking about. Opening the files again Megumi began to read over their info to see where they will be staying. "Ok girls. It says here that you two will be bunking together over at the dorms. So lets head over there now to get you guys settled in." Megumi lead the girls down into town to the Shinigami Towers, the dorm rooms. Many new Shinigami students spend their first year or so in the dorms before they find places of their own. After she lead the girls to their quarters and helped them settle in, Megumi gave them a few comforting words, told them where everything was and departed for the night. The girls were left in a decent size room with soft cream color walls. The peaceful room held a large oak dresser, two beds, and a pair of desks. It looked like a normal dorm. The room had a private bathroom, which is rare because most of the students share a community bath, so the girls were lucky. After a long day the girls were tired and decided to end their night. The girls found pajamas on their beds, and towels in the bathroom. Before turning in for the night the girls washed up and changed out of their uniforms. As Riku finished changing into her pajamas Lulu called out to her.

"Riku-Chan."

"Don't put Chan at the end of my name! You'll use San instead!"

"Hai, Riku-San. Could I ask you a question?"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

"What do you think being a Shinigami means?" Riku thought for a couple of seconds but couldn't think of an answer.

"How the hell would I know? I just got to this damn place as well. Now just go to sleep." Lulu crawled into bed and tucked her bear Poko in for the night.

"Oyasumi-nasai Riku-San. Oyasumi Poko."

"Hurry up and sleep!" As the girls closed their eyes they both wondered what the next day would bring. Soon both of the girls slipped into a deep slumber and the night began to past by bringing in the morning rays.


	2. Chapter 2

Scene 2

The next morning Riku and Lulu woke up to an unusual alarm.

"Ohayo-gozaimasu! Riku-Chan! Lulu-Chan! The time is 7:30am meaning its time to wake up!!" Megumi ran around the room, ears perked up acting like a baby kitten.

"Beat is cat freak. It's to early in the morning. Come back in about three hours." Riku pulled the covers over her head trying to block out her cheery mood. Running over to Lulu's bed, Megumi was just about to pounce on her when she realized something.

"Riku. RIKU!!"

"WHAT!!"

"Where is Lulu?" Peaking from under her covers, Riku looked at Lulu's bed and around the room for the little girl with buns.

"Looks like she's not here."

"Well then get up to come help m…" Megumi was cut off by a little voice coming through the door, which opened to reveal Lulu, holding Poko and a tray of eggs, toast, fruits and coffee.

"Riku-San. I brought breakfast. Oh! Ohayo-gozaimasu Megumi-sensei." Megumi, being as much careful as she could, pounced on Lulu.

"Lulu!! You scared me half to death. You're the cutest, kindness, girl ever!!!" After letting go, Megumi finally calmed down to get a couple of words out. "Well to get things moving, you two go clean up, eat up, and get dressed in some cloths found in the dresser. After that meet me down stairs." Like a little kitten she skipped down the stairs for a nice glass of sake. Without a word between them, they quickly got ready; Riku opened a new lollipop for herself and rushed down to find Megumi. Yet without knowing, the girls didn't realize that their school uniforms were missing and it never crossed their mind again. Once they made it down stairs they looked around and found Megumi at the food counter with her glass of sake. "Nothing feels better than having a good glass of Megumi's sake mix. Oh girls you're done." Nodding her head in approval Megumi examined the girls clothing. "Good choices. These will be your main outfits from now on." Lulu wore a cute black and white gothic Lolita dress, thigh high white socks, black platform heels and a bonnet in her hair. Riku had a red tank top below a cut up black T-shirt with one sleeve missing and pulled up to expose part of the tank top. She also wore a red mini-skirt over black Capri pants with black knee high boots with red laces. "Well lets get going." Just before they made it out, a three trainees, a year higher then the girls, blocked the exit. "Can I help you girls?" The girls, each dressed in unique outfits had prissy looks on their faces. "Just want to give the new girls a proper greeting." The girl with sheep horns coming from her brown hair giggled as she checked out Riku and Lulu.

"We just want you two new girls to keep in mind where your place is here." The second girl had monkey ear emerging from her blue hair. The girl in the middle had orange fox ears popping from her golden blonde hair. Before they could say anything more Riku walked up to the fox girl and read the giant pin on her shirt that read, 'Izumi is our Shinigami king. We represent his #1 fan club.' The other two girls had the exact same pin on their shirts. Riku got curious,

"Who is Izumi?" The three girls nearly fell over from shock, grabbing at the pins they all screamed in unison,

"How could you not know who our beloved Izumi is?!" Then the girl with the fox ears said to Riku, "We'll just have to tell you then. Girls: Izumi formation." The girls positioned themselves and began a cheer together.

"1,2,3,4: Izumi is the Shinigami; master of so many souls! If only he would partner us, we could meet out goal! Izumi is the one and only; he is just the best! Izumi is never lonely, better than the rest! Kana! Jona! Nina! Izumi's #1 fan club!" The girls ended in some random pose with the fox girl, Nina, in the middle and Kana, sheep, and Jona, monkey, and either side of her. Lulu, Riku, and Megumi stood with blank expressions on their faces. Shaking her head to get back into reality Megumi looked back at Riku.

"Okay Riku. Lulu. If you ever meet Izumi don't even think to speaking or looking at him. He's not good for you two." She leaned over to the girls and whispered, "See what it did to them." Lulu gave a small and quite giggle.

"Still that didn't tell me shit about who the hell Izumi is!" Riku yelled.

"Just forget about it." Megumi began to walk away only to be stopped by something holding onto her tail. No matter which way she would swish it; her tail would remain heavier than normal. Then, she heard it. A voice that to her sounded liked a drunken man with the shakes.

"Hallo Megumi-san." Turning around Megumi began to instinctively hiss and claw at the ghost like being with a black top hat. "Oh, so mean to me. Yes you are."

"You deserve it Jonathan!" Megumi screamed, then calming down turned to face her trainees. "Now lets hurry up and go." When she turned back around, she nearly ran into the person of discussion.

"Megumi-san. Didn't you teach me that it was rude to do bodily harm to ones partner?" The young mans voice was soft yet coarse. The three girls were shaking and finally screamed,

"It's him! It's our Izumi-sempai!" Riku and Lulu couldn't help but giggle as the girls fainted.

"Step aside Izumi! I need to start the training of my two new girls!" Megumi said between her teeth. Lulu then realized that she need to do as her sensei had said so she covered Poko and Riku eyes and then closed her eyes as well.

"What the hell are you doing Lulu-Chan?" Riku snapped.

"Megumi-sensei said not to look at him," Lulu quietly replied.

"I don't care!" Riku retorted.

"Don't Riku-San!" But it was to late and Riku had laid eyes on the man named Izumi. Lulu then covered her and Poko's eyes trying to obey Megumi. Riku froze at the site of him, not really caring what Izumi looked like at first she then realized that he was something else. She never really cared about guys or anyone for that matter, yet for some reason Izumi caused Riku to become shy and stiff. He was tall, wore black pants and shoes, had a yellow long sleeve shirt with a black vest and tie. He wore a black hat over his blonde hair with what looked like dog-ears protruding from the sides. The lollipop that Riku had put in her mouth not to long ago was now hanging halfway out of her mouth, she was in a complete daze.

"So these are your new trainees." Izumi complete bypassed Megumi and walked over to where Lulu and Riku were standing.

"Leave them alone Izumi!" Megumi screamed.

"I just want to meet them. Why are you covering your eyes little one?" As Izumi tried to pry her hands away from her face Lulu, with all her might, keep them in place.

"Megumi-sensei told me not to look at you." Patting her gently on the head Izumi responded,

"Kawaii" with a little chuckle. Riku now, with lollipop completely out of her mouth and on the floor, was becoming bright red as he turned toward her. "And who might this be? She seems a little to rebellious for your standards Megumi-San." Izumi then slightly grab a couple strands of her hair letting it slip through his fingers. "These red streaks suit you quite well my little one."

"Alright Izumi, let her go now we have to get going!!" Megumi yelled as she went over to the girls and grabbed Lulu by the wrist.

"Tell my their names Megumi and I'll be on my way." He stated with a simple smirk on his face. Releasing a sigh of innocence she looked at Izumi with annoyed eyes and said,

"Their names are no concern to you because these are my trainees and I will not have their training interrupted by you. Now please on your way!" Izumi finally stepped back to allow passage for Megumi to leave. She led little Lulu, eyes still close, out the door while trying to ignore the pestering Jonathan. After a couple inches she realized she was missing one body, Riku. Telling Lulu to stay where she was Megumi ran back into the building to retrieve the dazed Riku. Megumi gave her a small flick on the forehead to bring her back into reality.

"What the hell was that for Megumi!!"

"What did you just call me? NO! You will use the proper name and call me Sensei! Got it! Sensei. Se-n-sei!" Megumi retorted growing irritated by Izumi's laughing in the background.

"Me-gu-mi! I'll call you whatever I want!" The two girls were now face to face with small veins emerging from Megumi's foreheads.

"Looks like you have your hands full with this one Megumi. I'd take her off your hands but I'm not trained to take in trainees. Oh and Riku-san. When you become a true Shinigami don't change one bit." After giving Riku a little wink he walked outside and flew off into the sky with Jonathan not to far behind him.

"What do you mean by don't change?" Riku yelled out loud at Izumi who was practical out of site.

"Riku-san, Izumi is a ruthless Shinigami who takes his job very seriously. He will manipulate and con just about anyone to do whatever he wants in order to capture a soul. He is also known to hurt other Shinigami's, and not physically. I advise you not to trust him too much. Now we better go or I'll put you two girls behind on your schedules." Megumi and Riku were about to walk out when they heard the voice of the girl Nina behind them.

"What the hell are you babbling about old timer?!" The three girls had finally awoken from the fainting spell and heard what Izumi had said to Riku. Megumi and Riku turned around to see the three annoyed girls.

"What makes you so special?" Jona asked Riku.

"Yeah!" Repeated Kana as she giggled at Riku.

"I don't have time to mess with the Prissy Three."

"Well for some reason Izumi-sempai wants to partner with you once you finish your training, yet I have no idea why." Nina was now starting to really piss Riku off. She was about to punch Nina right across the face when Megumi intervened.

"ALRIGHT!! I'm really getting fed up with all of this. If you girls don't behave this instant I will have to send you all to the cells. Am I clear!"

"And what will your reason for sending us there be. Teasing!" The girls giggled to Jona's comment.

"No. Insubordination." With a snap of her fingers the girls vanished with a "poof."

"What the, how did u, where did?" "If you ever treat me the same way again I'll do the same to you but for now we really have to go." With that Megumi grabbed the shocked Riku and dragged her out to were Lulu was standing and they went on their way.


	3. Chapter 3

Scene 3

After the little encounter with Izumi, Jonathan, and the three insubordinate girls Megumi wasn't in the best of moods. Her tail wasn't as carefree and she gave off an unpleasant face. Lulu became a little worried, went over to Megumi and placed her head on her arm. Megumi looked down at the innocent Lulu and lightly patted her on the head.

"Don't worry my little Lulu-Chan. I'll be fine once I calm down. But for now why don't you keep that adorable smile on your face. Ok?" Giving Megumi the cutest, biggest smile she said,

"Ok! Oh and Megumi."

"Yeah Lulu."

"Is Izumi-sempai really that bad of a Shinigami?" Sighing a little Megumi looked into the sky and answered,

"Yes and no. Just say his past history wasn't all that good, lets not get into that though." Lulu wasn't sure what Megumi was talking about and didn't bother her about it.

"What happened in his past? Riku finally said after snapping back into reality.

"That's something only I can know little Riku-Chan."

"HEY! DON'T CALL ME…" before she could finish Megumi interrupted her with the waving her hand and saying,

"Hai. Hai." Megumi then looked at Riku, her eyes shined with something unknown. Riku knew it was coming, Megumi's horrible and death defying CUDDLE DEATH LOCK! Yet before Riku was able to run from her dreadful attack Megumi pounced on her.

"Ahhhh! You crazy cat!"

"But you're the cutest when you're angry." Finally releasing Riku, Megumi adjusted herself, fix her hair and yelled,

"Let's go!!" After Riku regained her composer and added a new lollipop to her mouth she asked Megumi, in a frustrated tone,

"So where are we off to anyways? You haven't said a thing about where we're going since we left the dorms. Or do you not want to tell us? ME-GU-MI." Megumi's ears perked up hoping to hear a little more from Riku, yet she was silent. Slowly turning around, a little nerve emerged from her forehead.

"How many times to I have to tell you!! Use Sen…" She was interrupted by Lulu tugging on her jacket.

"Sensei. Actually I was wondering too." Calming down from Lulu's innocents, Megumi cleared her throat then pounced on Lulu for a CUDDLE DEATH LOCK.

"I just can't stay angry when you're around. You're just tooooo cute!" In a muffled voice,

"Arigato Megumi-Sensei." Releasing Lulu she adjusted herself before speaking.

"Well to get back to subject, I'm taking you two on a little your. We're going to see the Main Offices, passage gate, training fields, and classrooms." Lulu in a soft tone and Riku at the top of her lungs yelled,

"CLASSES!!"

"Well yeah. We put all Shinigami's, mostly younger ones, through training in classrooms to learn the things you need to be a proper Shinigami. Didn't you guys read the booklets I gave you?" Looking at each other than at Megumi they shook their heads with a confused look on their faces. Blinking Megumi then snapped her finger and a small book bag appeared out of nowhere into her hands. "I swear I gave them to you two." All of a sudden Megumi started pulling out tons and tons of books, papers, snacks, and other unusual things from her little bag. "FOUND THEM! Hehehehe sorry. Must have forgotten to give them to you guys. Um…. guys…where did you go?" Not realizing that she buried her students under her mass amount of stuff she franticly began packing everything back into her bag. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." The girls slowly emerged from the pile gasping for air.

"Ah! I thought I was going to die." Riku said breathing heavily.

"But Riku-san. We're already."

"I know. It was a joke. A joke." Lulu gave a little soft giggle.

"Well anyways here are the booklets I was suppose to give to you. Sorry about that. Now where were we?" Opening her booklet Megumi began to scan down her agenda. "Oh yes, we're on our way to our first destination. The Main Offices. Shall we." Right before Megumi took her first step Lulu mad the loudest scream Riku and Megumi had ever heard from Lulu. Even those walking in the distance jumped at the sound. "What's wrong Lulu-Chan?" As tears began to form in her eyes she said back in her quite tone,

"I can't find Poko."

"Did you leave him in the room?" Riku asked. Suddenly the aura around Lulu became dark and she became extremely tense. In a deep and non-Lulu voice, Lulu looked up at Riku and Megumi saying,

"Now why would I leave my poor Poko at home." Both girls cringed, as the innocent Lulu became black Lulu. Megumi and Riku, who's new lollipop had fallen out of her mouth, clutched each other out of shear terror. Trying to speak correctly Megumi said an a trembling voice,

"M-maybe I a-accidentally put it in my b-bag."

"Well I suggest you search for it. NOW!" Riku yelled. Without hesitation Megumi began to unpack her bag once again throwing things left and right.

"A ha! Here it is." Handing it over to Lulu slowly calmed down and turned back into her normal sweet, quite self. Hugging her Poko, Lulu smiled softly at Megumi and said,

"Arigato-gozimasu! Shall we go?" Lulu then skipped away like nothing ever happened. Megumi and Riku looked at each other in confusion.

"Let's not let that happen again." Proclaimed Riku.

"For once, I agree with you." Gathering all of her belongings Megumi and Riku headed off after Lulu.


	4. Chapter 4

Scene 4

Throughout their walk Megumi explained important buildings, landmarks, and the history of their world. No matter what she talked about Riku, who already added a new lollipop to her mouth, had the annoyed look on her face. Lulu on the other hand was extremely interested in everything she said.

"You know Riku. What I'm saying we be really helpful when you start your classes."

"Whatever."

"Suit yourself." As they continued walking Lulu noticed that most of the Shinigamis had wings emerging on their backs and at the same time she noticed that Megumi also had a pair.

"Excuse me. Riku-san."

"Nani Lulu-Chan."

"Have you ever noticed the wings on Megumi's and others Shinigamis back?" Looking around and at Megumi Riku began to notice the same thing.

"Your right. Yo Megumi!" In a split second Megumi turned around with her ears perked up and tail stiff.

"RIKU-CHAN!!"

"Yeah I know. Quick question." Trying to calm herself down she gestured Riku to continue. "What's with the wings on your back? Aren't we suppose to be considered death?"

"Oh these." She replied while opening her wings to show the girls. "You'll have time to learn about that at your classes, but for now here we are." A building, not to unusual from building in the human realm, stood about five stories high in front of them. "Alright girls, if you open your booklets to the main office section we can get started." Megumi led them into the building for a quick tour.

An hour passed and the girls finally exited the building. Not even two feet away from the building Riku, annoyingly, asked, "Why do we have to walk so much? Can't we just fly like everyone else around here!" Peeking behind Riku, Lulu looked at Megumi with curios eyes waiting for an answer.

"Go ahead and fly if you hate walking so much," she said in a sarcastic tone.

"Like hell do I know how to fly!!" Lulu was startled by Riku's loud tone and covered her ears.

"Then I guess we'll be walking." Megumi kept walking with a grin on her face. Lulu uncovered her ears, clutched Poko tightly and ran after Megumi. Putting her hands into her pockets Riku dragged herself behind them.

Not even a block after Riku's explosion Megumi suddenly stopped next to a small gray box. Opening the box a series of odd characters appeared. With a swift movement she typed in what seemed to be a code of some sort, then closed the box. Out of nowhere a blue, unusual, platform appeared. Stepping onto the platform she turned toward the girls.

"Well come on. We don't have all day." Both girls, a little hesitant at first, stepped onto the platform. "Destination. School yard." Just after that Megumi and girls vanished then reappeared in front of a gigantic fountain. The girls had no time to realize what had just happened to them. Jumping off the platform Riku yelled,

"What the hell was that!!" Lulu, unaffected, lightly jumped off the platform and stood next to Riku.

"That is what we like to call a S.K.I.P. It's a quick way to get from one destination to another in a flash." With a cute puzzled look Lulu asked,

"S.K.I.P??"

"Shinigami. Kick. It. Platform."

"What kind of name is that!" Riku yelled. Lulu was inspecting the platform trying to understand how it works.

"Well it's called a kick it platform because," she gave the platform a kick and it disappeared, "to send it back you kick it." A large grin formed on Megumi's face with a series of giggles, Lulu joined in. Riku tried to keep a straight face even though she also thought that it was pretty funny. Clearing her throat she gestured the girls to head to the entrance of the school, yet before she could take one step Riku interrupted her with a loud tone,

"Why didn't we take that thing before!"

"Riku-san." Lulu said while tugging on her shirt. "She probably has her reasons for it. Lets not start another fight. Please." Looking down at Lulu with gentle eyes Megumi explained,

"Because those platforms are only located in specific areas and can only be used by people with my rank or higher." Feeling satisfied Riku went back to having her hands in her pockets and sucking on her lollipop. Then suddenly a voice from above called for Megumi.

"Megumi-sempai." A girl with long aqua hair landed in between the fountain and the girls.

"Sumomo. Perfect timing." A girl about 17 years old with a pair of black and white panda ears poking from her aqua hair stood in front of them. She wore a two-piece purple, Chinese style dress with yellow pants revealing her mid drift. Her purple shoes matched her dress perfectly, her dark aqua eyes shined in the sunlight and a small pink bag stood out in her hands.

"Konichiwa! My name is Sumomo and I'll be showing you around our campus." Her cute smile made it hard, even for Riku, for the two girls not to blush. Snapping back Lulu then realized that Megumi wasn't going to be with them.

"You won't be showing us around?" Lulu's innocent eyes caused Megumi to want to hug her.

"Unfortunately I have some important affairs to attend to. Don't worry, Sumomo is one of my best students and a T.A here at your school. She'll take good care of you."

"Took long enough. I was wondering when I'd be able to get rid of you." Riku mumbled under her breath.

"Oh Riku-Chan," Megumi said as she slowly turned toward Riku.

"Nani Me-gu-mi."

"My ears are better than you think and don't worry, I'll be back soon." An evil glimmer shined from the corner of her eye. Riku just looked at her with a 'whatever' look. "Well I'm off. It's about 10:30ish now so I'll be back just in time for lunch. That gives you a good two hours. Will that work for you Sumomo?"

"Don't worry Sempai. They will know this school like the back of their hand when I'm done. See you for lunch."

"I have complete trust in you Sumomo." With that she flew into the sky. The girls watched her fly away til she was out of site. Lulu was waving at her even after she was long gone.

"Ok Lulu. You can stop now." She slowly lowered her hand and hugged Poko. Looking back at the girls Sumomo said,

"Shall we go," in a sweet tone.


	5. Chapter 5

Scene 5

Sumomo gestured at the girls to follow her to the main entrance. Riku took the lead with Lulu clutching her shirt from behind. Once they reached the entrance Riku took the liberty of opening the doors, yet no matter how hard she pulled on the doors they wouldn't open. She thought to herself,

'They couldn't be lock or Sumomo would have said something.' With that she tried again but like before they didn't open. Lulu looked up at Riku,

"Is there something wrong Riku-san?"

"If there wasn't we'd be inside by now. Yo Sumomo. What's the deal?" Not sure what she was talking about Sumomo tried to open the doors as well but nothing happened.

"How odd. It should be….." cutting herself off Sumomo began to turn completely red.

"Are you ok Sempai? Do you have a fever?" Using her tipsy toes Lulu placed her hand onto Sumomo's head. "You seem ok." Shaking her head Sumomo replied,

"It's not that Lulu. It's just that I forgot that the doors don't open till school starts." She gave the girls a small grin.

"Then how do we get inside Sempai?"

"Yeah. Its pointless to be here if we can't go inside." Riku was beginning to get a little irritated from having to wait. "So…..can you get us in?" Thinking for a moment Sumomo realized that she was given the school code for events like this.

"Actually I can! Wait just one second." Turning around she lightly pressed an orange button below one of the door handles. A small screen then appeared with a set of numbers. While Sumomo typed in a series of complex numbers Riku, under her breath, whispered to Lulu,

"She seems to be a little slow in the head don't you think." Lulu just shrugged her shoulders at the comment. As she finished adding the code Sumomo's name appeared on the screen and a loud click came from the doors.

"There. That should do it." Grabbing the handles the doors finally opened and the girls were able to enter the building.

"Hooray! Look Poko, Sumomo was able to open the doors. Hooray!" Lulu cheered as she entered through the doors after Riku and Sumomo.

"Are you happy now Riku-Chan?" Biting down on her lollipop Riku yelled,

"Don't ever use Chan after my name! Got it!" Even after getting yelled at by Riku, Sumomo said in her calm voice,

"Then what would you like me to refer you by?" Taking a couple seconds to think and to calm down Riku replied,

"Riku. I'd prefer it if you'd just call me Riku."

"Ok Riku. Then you can just call me Sumomo. Oh and you too Lulu. Just Sumomo," she said as she sweetly smiled at Lulu.

"Hai! And just call me Lulu." A feeling of warmth ran throughout her body like nothing she'd ever felt. Lulu gave her two wonderful friends a comforting smile. Not too much farther into the building when the girls came across rows of cubbies.

"Here is where you will switch the shoes you are wearing now with the ones inside your cubby. Your name should be on one of them." Lulu went first into the rows looking for her cubby.

"I found mine! Riku-san! Yours is right next to me." She said excitedly.

"That's less work for me. Good job little mouse."

"Little Mouse?"

"I don't know. It seems to fit you." Lulu smiled from the thought of a cute little nickname. When the girls opened their cubbies surprisingly they found the exact same pair of shoes that they were wearing inside.

"Uh….any reason we have to change into the same shoes?" Riku scoffed.

"We'd prefer if you didn't walk through the halls with dirty shoes." Giggling the girls knew that she knew that they would find a copy or their shoes inside. Both girls joined Sumomo in some giggling. After putting on the shoes Lulu noticed a red dot on the bottom of her shoes.

"Sumomo. What's the red dot for?"

"That's so you know which is the school shoes and the one you wore outside. Some people have accidentally walked out with their school shoes before. It helps." Leaving the cubbies behind the girls then entered into a hallway. The sun streamed through the windows lighting up the room. Sumomo then began to explain where the classrooms were, principle office, nurses office and the cafeteria. As they walked through the school she explained almost everything about everything. Minutes turned into hours and before they knew it the clock struck noon.

"There's a clock tower here?" Lulu asked.

"Oh yes and a marvelous clock at that. It's pretty high up, that's probable why you missed it. Well we better head back now. Megumi-sempai will be waiting." The girls made it back out to the courtyard to find Megumi waiting by the fountain with a large picnic basket.

"Megumi-sensei!!" Lulu yelled as she ran to Megumi and attacked her with a hug.

"Well I missed you too. How did everything go Sumomo?"

"Perfect. I was able to give them all the information they needed."

"I'm glad to hear that. I hope that you two enjoyed yourselves." With Lulu still clutched to her side she nodded her head.

"Yeah I guess I did."

"Now before it gets cold lets eat!" All the girls at once yelled,

"YEAH!!" Sumomo laid out a blanket that Megumi brought and Lulu handed out a bento box to each person. Folding their hands together they all yelled "Itatakimasu" and began to consume their lunches. After Lulu took a bit out the egg inside the box she looked at Megumi and said,

"Oishii!! Did you make this yourself Megumi-sensei?"

"I did in fact. I'm pleased that you all really like it." The girls nodded in approval with their mouths full of food. Finishing what was in her mouth Riku said,

"Wow. That cat actually has some talent."

"I'll take that as a compliment if it's coming from you." All the girls giggled except Riku she just gave a little pout then finished her food. When everyone finished their lunch Megumi stored the empty boxes and the blanket into her bag and got up ready to leave. "Well girls it's about time that we'd be leaving. Sumomo you can join us if you like." Shaking her head in disapproval she responded,

"Thank you for the invite but I must be going. I have other things to attend to." With that she waved goodbye and flew off into the sky. Leaving the school behind the girls left to complete their training.


	6. Chapter 6

Scene 6

Weeks quickly passed by and the girls learned everything they needed from Megumi. Sumomo always popped in once in a while to pitch in, she and the two girls soon became close friends, School finally started for the two girls and only Lulu was excited. They girls went through opening ceremonies, which was held outside in the cool September weather. Luckily Megumi dropped off a pair of night sky blue jackets to their room that morning.

"It was really nice of Megumi-sensei to have given us these jackets. Don't you think Riku-san?" Rolling her eyes Riku responded, as quietly as she could hoping Megumi wasn't around to hear,

"Yeah I guess." Then back in her normal tone, "Yet if you look around everyone else has the exact same ones." Looking around Lulu just gave Riku a sweet smile. The girls headed off to their homeroom class. As they headed down the hallway a familiar, annoying voice came from the classroom next to them,

"Well. Well. Well. Look what the cat dragged in." Without even turning toward the voice Riku replied,

"Well, if it isn't Izumi's lap dogs." Turning to the girls Riku gave each of the girls a large grin with her lollipop hanging from the corner of her mouth, flicked the girls off, and walked away with Lulu following close behind. The three girls stood where Riku left them frozen from shock and anger. Riku and Lulu made it to their homeroom class just on time before the last bell rang. The rest of their day went by smoothly and before they knew it school was over. Both girls walked out of the building with their hands filled with books and papers.

"Hey Lulu! How are you doing back there?" Lulu responded,

"Ok. I guess," while trying to struggle with holding the books and Poko. A familiar voice asked,

"Would you two like some help?"

"Sumomo!!" Lulu yelled peeking around her pile of books.

"Where have you been? Aren't T.A's suppose to be at the school during school hours?" Riku said in a smart-aleck tone.

"Sorry about that. T.A's also do thing outside of school grounds. Well now, about your pile of books. Follow me." Sumomo led the girls over to a large purple box next to the gate entrance. "Ok. Type in you names, which dorm complex you're in, and your room number. When the box opens just drop everything inside. That's it." Looking a little puzzled the girls looked at the box, about the size of a shoebox, then at their pile of books and papers. In another one of her sarcastic tones Riku asked,

"And how do you expect us to fit all of this into that little box?" Giving a little giggle Sumomo replied,

"Just try. You'll see." So the girls did just that. After they typed all of their information in and the box opened both girls, Riku first, dropped their pile of books and papers into the small box. Amazingly enough the box seemed to have taken and held every single piece of material the added into it. A few seconds after they finished the box closed on its own.

"So where does everything go?" Lulu asked with curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Everything you added into the box will go directly to your room." Clutching her hair Riku yelled a loud,

"I just can't believe that those books came from only six classes. Protocol, Language, Filing, Animal/Weapons, P.E, and History. It's enough to drive you crazy!"

"Um…Riku-san." Releasing her hair to look down at Lulu, Riku calmly said,

"Yeah Lulu. What's up?"

"We'd better get home and start all of our work. There's a lot of it." With a big sigh Riku nodded her in agreement.

"Thanks for the help Sumomo but we better get on our way. See you later." They girls then left Sumomo and went on their way. During their walk Lulu asked Riku,

"Do you think that we will see Megumi-sensei today?"

"I think she's the reason why my day went by so well." Riku turned to Lulu giving her a gigantic grin.

"Oh Riku-san." Shaking her head Lulu leaned against Riku's arm the way back to the dorms.


	7. Chapter 7

Scene 7

As the days went by winter came and left. The girls worked hard at school and their training with Megumi. Lulu excelled in all her classes with Riku and little distance behind her. Megumi and their school were amazed by Lulu's grades and intelligence. She was becoming the top student in the school. With Lulu's help, Riku was able to get through each of her classes with passing scores. Each day they spent together created a close bond between them. Spring was just around the corner and Riku was dreading it.

"Why aren't you happy that spring is coming Riku-san? All the Sakura trees will be in bloom. It'll be so pretty." Lulu asked on their way to fourth period.

"Arggg! Don't you get it? Yeah spring means better weather and sakura tress, but it also means TEST!! I can't stand them."

"Don't worry Riku-san. I'll be here to help you" Putting her hands behind her head and looking at Lulu out of the corner of her eye she replies,

"Thanks Lu…" Bumping into an unknown figure Riku looked up to see who was blocking her way. Standing about four inches taller her was a boy dressed in punk cloths with a pair of brown ears showing through his ragged red hair. "Move out of my way bear boy. I don't have the time to deal with anyone right now."

"Whoa lil one. Don't get yourself all worked up. Just ask and I'll step aside." The boy was beginning to get on her last nerve so without even asking shoved the boy to the wall and walked past him. Lulu followed closely behind her hugging Poko as tightly as she could. The boy then turned back toward the girls and yelled, "Oh and I'm a Tazmanian Devil. DEVIL!" Not even looking back at the boy Riku yelled back,

"Don't care bear boy!" The girls made it just in time class. As they placed their bags down and sat in their chairs the teacher threw opened the door and announced, in a loud tone,

"Alright class. Today is a special day for you all." Watching their teacher open her bay Riku whispered to Lulu, "Maybe the school has to be closed for a month or so." Lulu giggled and shook her head as a 'that would never happen Riku-san'. After their teacher pulled out a pile of papers and student cried,

"OH NO!" Just after the teacher said the two worst words any student could hear, "Pop Quiz." In unison the entire class, except for Lulu, groaned. Sitting down Poko first Lulu began to grab her pencil from her bag getting herself ready.

"I'm giving everyone one hour to complete this test. You must answer each question truthfully and accurate. If all pencils are down before the hour is up I'll ask for everyone to pass their papers to the front of their row. Start this whenever you receive it." As the paper made its way down to Riku a drop of sweat ran down the side of her face. Grabbing the paper as it reached her and passing it to the next person behind her she began to read over the questions.

'What the hell?' She thought as she read the first question. 'What's my favorite color? What kind of personality do I think I have? What kind of questions are these? These are some easy ass questions.' Taking her pencil from her bag she began to start the easiest quiz she's ever taken. This was the first time that she ever enjoyed taking a pop quiz. It was mostly like a personality quiz that was made to get to know someone. Just as she finished the last question and placed her pencil down the teacher began to count down the second,

"5,4,3,2,1. Ok everyone please pass all papers to the front of your row. Once your done you can leave. You'll get the results of your test when you get back to your dorms. It will be placed in an envelope in your mailbox. Enjoy the rest of your day. I will see you tomorrow!" Walking out of her classroom Riku turned to Lulu, who was following close behind her and said,

"That was the easiest quiz ever, don't you think?" Looking down at her, Lulu gave Riku a sweet smile. "On the other hand don't answer that. Miss top of the school." Lulu giggled behind her as the headed off to P.E.

School ended and the girls were eager to get back to their dorm. They reached their dorm as quickly as they could, grabbed their mail, and ran to their room. As they bolted up stairs to their room Lulu closed the door behind them then excitedly asked, "Open it Riku-san. Open it!" Ripping the envelope, Riku pulled out the letter and began to read the results out loud so Lulu could hear.

"Results for Lulu: Mouse/Ball. Results for Riku: Grey Wolf/Spear."

"Riku-san. I don't understand." Shrugging her shoulders Riku continued to read,

"I will explain the results of the quiz in class tomorrow. For now your assignment for tonight will be to draw an idea on how you would like the object next to the animal to look like. Use your imagination and make it to how you would like it to look like." Not really sure what the letter meant the girls complete their assignment as they were told as well as their other class homework's. Once they finished both girls turned in for the night with questions running through their heads.

Morning came and the girls headed off to school eager to get to their fourth period. The wanted to understand their results from the quiz they took the other day. When fourth period finally arrived they quickly ran to class and waited for the teacher to arrive. "Alright class." They teacher yelled while entering the room. "I bet you are all eager to understand the results you received. To help us I brought an old student of mine. Kyo, you may come in." Just than a familiar face walked into the room.

'Oh. It's that annoying boy from the hallway. What's he doing here?' Riku thought.

"Everyone, I want to introduce you to Kyo. He will be my example today." After introducing himself he turned to look directly at Riku giving her a little wink. Riku turned away and slipped him the finger.

"Now class, on everyone's results sheet each person should have received an animal. That animal will be your personal animal from now on. If you look at Kyo he has a pair of ears and a tail, he shares the traits of a Tazmanian Devil. You will receive similar traits from your animals. Lulu, could you come to the front please." A little scared, Lulu took Poko into her arms and walked slowly to the front of the class. A little scared Lulu said to the teacher in a soft, quite tone,

"Yes sensei."

"What animal was given to you?" Clutching Poko tighter to her chest she whispered,

"Mouse."

"Yes. Lulu was given the mouse because the personalities are similar. Quite, sweet, smart, and gentle. You may sit down." Lulu quickly returned to her seat. Leaning over to Lulu, Riku whispered to her,

"Well I guess my nickname for you actually fits you now. My little mouse." Hugging Poko, Lulu quietly giggled.

"Now can anyone guess what they object next to the animal is for?" A young girl with short purple hair raised her hand. Calling on the girl she answered,

"It's the weapon we are given to retrieve souls."

"Correct. Whatever object is written will become your personal weapon. Hopefully everyone finished their assignment?" In unison the class yelled,

"HAI!!"

"Good, now about your animals." For the rest of the period the teacher explained that by the passing weeks the animal features will slowly show up. The time is shows up varies on each person, between Lulu and Riku they both received theirs at about the same time. Lulu had a pair of little ears showing through her black and white hair and a long tail came from under her dress. To add some cuteness to herself she added a pink ribbon to the end of her tail. The mouse features gave her an even cuter look. Riku's features also included ears and a tail. Furry gray ear stood out over her brown hair and a furry tail gave away the wolf look. It took some time for the girls to become use to have the new features but soon it was nothing to them. Things were going well for the girls and it made Megumi proud.


	8. Chapter 8

Scene 8

"This smells so good." Taking a big sniff of her turkey sandwich she whispers, "Itatakimasu." Just as she was about to take a bit a little voice behind her yelled,

"MEGUMI-SENSEI!!!" Being into her own world, Megumi continued to eat her sandwich not realizing that someone was calling her. "Don't think she heard us Riku-san."

"Oh, she'll hear us in a second." Walking up behind Megumi, Riku took a deep breath and with all her might yelled, "YO CAT!!!" Startled, Megumi juggled the last bit of her sandwich trying not to drop it. Getting back her composer and sandwich Megumi turned around with an evil look on her face. Yet before she could yell at Riku, Lulu attacked her with a hug.

"I've missed you Megumi-sensei. You've been so busy." Calming down Megumi finished the last bit of her sandwich before speaking.

"Yes I know. So much has been going on, but look at you two with your cute ears and tails. I could just.."

"Oh god. Please don't." She was half way off her seat ready to pounce; yet after what Riku said she sat back down and folded her ears. Tears began to form on the corner of her eyes. Little Lulu stood in front of the sadden Megumi and with Poko in one hand opened her arms out to her.

"Hug." Was all she said and with that Megumi pounced on Lulu as happy as a kitten, tail swaying everywhere. After a long hug and a couple of disgusted looks from Riku, Megumi released Lulu and asked the girls,

"So how has your flying lessons been?" Not even answering her the girls locked hands and lifted themselves into the sky. Megumi's eyes widen with happiness. The girls were working so hard and learning so fast. She was proud to have them as trainees. Clapping her hands, Megumi ushered the girls to come back down. "That was wonderful. You girls learn quick."

"Riku-san was the first in our class to make it off the ground. She beat even me." Riku stood up straight and tall feeling proud.

"Oh! Actually Megumi-sensei we're here for a reason." Megumi looked confused for a couple of seconds before she asked,

"Megumi….sensei?"

"Please don't get all worked up about it. I'm just not in the mood to fight right now but anyways we're here because our teacher wants us to find out our group name." Hesitating, it seemed that all the energy that Megumi had somehow drained away and a motionless body sat in front of the girls. A sweat drop then ran down the side of her face.

"Is something wrong?" Lulu asked in a concern tone.

"No….no. Everything is just peachy."

"Then what's our name?" Riku was becoming impatient.

"Well about that. I'm actually trying understand the name myself…or…fix…it. But…um….well."

"Just spit it OUT!!" A nerve began to show on Riku's forehead and her tail made her anger even more obvious.

"Please Megumi-sensei." With a big sigh Megumi spoke the name in a quite tone so only the girls could hear.

"Okashi Dango." There was a long pause between the girls and Megumi. Riku was so stunned that her mouth was so wide that her lollipop became MIA and Lulu almost dropped Poko. Snapping back to reality Riku screamed,

"Who the hell would give us a name like that. CANDY DUMPLING. It's just insane. What dumbass came up with a name like that. I…..name…arggggg!"

"Sorry Riku but there's nothing I can do. It's what was given to us. And believe me I tried everything to change it but…." Megumi just sighed. "But don't worry because it's only till you graduate from your school and training. You receive a new name once your new partner is determined." With a sadden face Lulu wrapped her arms around Megumi's waist. Megumi didn't have to ask why to understand the sudden hug. Releasing her arms around her teacher Lulu looked up into Megumi's blue eyes and smiled.

"I think it's a wonderful name. Lets get started." Lulu turned around and ran to a small open spot, Riku followed behind her with a slow walk.

"Get what started girls?"

"The teacher said that we're suppose to practice some kind of routine with our trainer. Right Lulu." After dropping her bag Lulu nodded her head and ushered for Megumi to come and join them. For the next half an hour or so the girls practiced a routine that Megumi was given to teach them. Starting with Megumi they each said their name, ending with Lulu, then finished in a unique pose yelling "Okashi Dango!" After going through the routine over and over they finally retired. Collapsing on the ground the girls spread themselves out to catch their breaths. After regaining her composer, Megumi asked the girls,

"Is there anything else your girls need from me?" While there was a brief pause an old man with his Norwegian husky walked by, told them a 'Three men walked into a bar' joke and went on his way. As he walked out of site the girls looked at each other thinking 'what the hell was that?' Shrugging their shoulders Megumi sat up and began to fix her braid that fell apart during their practice.

"Riku-san. We need to ask Megumi-sensei about our second assignment."

"Oh yeah. Hey Megumi." Adding the finishing touch to her braid, a red tie, she responded with an,

"Hmmm?"

"Our teacher also wants us to researched on the person that we're suppose to take the soul of at the end of our year."

"Sure. I actually have her file with me. Give me a second." Opening her bag, Megumi began to search into her endless bag. After a couple seconds she finally pulled out a small file. Once she closed her bag she opened the file and began to read, "Our subject is named Terasu, Suzuka." Both girls pulled out a notebook to jot down some notes, Megumi continued. "She's about 43 years old. A mother of one child and has an incurable disease. We're scheduled to retrieve her soul on August 15 of this year." After skimming the rest of the file she said, "Well that just about all you need to know. Anything else?" Lulu pulled out her assignment sheet and checked over the things to do list.

"I think that's it Megumi-sensei."

"Well girls it was fun helping you today but I really have to get back to work. Remember that you guys can always count on me when you need help." After she hugged Lulu goodbye and ruffled Riku's hair she flew off into the sun setting sky. Grabbing their belongings they returned to their dorm to complete any unfinished assignments and to rest up for another long day of school.

4


End file.
